Author(s): Mats A. Granskog
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Abstract: This paper summarizes the results from recent studies on the texture and δ18O properties of landfast sea ice in the Baltic Sea. These investigations provided the first quantitative estimates on the contribution of meteoric ice to sea ice mass-balance in the region. Both seasonal development and large-scale spatial variability were investigated. The Baltic Sea ice belongs to the seasonal ice zone and therefore represents rather mild ice climate conditions. The studies revealed that the contribution of meteoric ice, in the form of snow-ice and superimposed ice, to ice growth is highly significant, as high as 35% of the total ice mass, depending on season and year. However, interannual variability in meteoric ice contribution is large and years with low meteoric ice contributions were also observed. The mild climate conditions seem to contribute to the fact that superimposed ice formation is a reoccurring process at these latitudes, especially in spring when diurnal temperature variations can be high, with snow melt at daytime and refreezing at night. Also refrozen (liquid) rain contributes to superimposed ice formation. Overall snow (precipitation) is highly important for the development of Baltic Sea ice, not only for its mass-balance, and its role should be investigated in great more detail.
Year: 2004